Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-08-19
A Y ERDICT
RETURNED BY THE CORONER'S JURY Al
CHATSWORTH.
The Document Throws the Blame 70. lht
Accident Upon Timothy Couchlia, the Section
Boss, Who IS Made a S.ape-GOat for
the Company

CHICAGO, August 1S-A special to the
N0CS from Chatsworth, H., says: The
COroner's jury agreed on a verdict this
morning, which holds Timothy Coughlin,
foreman Of section seven, to the Grand
Jury, and negatively exonerates the com
pany. The management is not censured
Tor the running of double-header, for Il
lax system Of track inspection, or for any
thing else. The verdict simply says the
failure to patrol the track for six hours
before the train sine and the habit of
burning grass Ciy., to the track is a sub
iect for censure The three or four friends
Of the road on the jury had better staying
qualities than two or three of those who
wanted to fix portion of the blame on
the management.
Timothy Coughlin, the section foreman,
was
PROMPTLY ARRESTED
and will be taken to Pontiac, the county
seat Of Livingstone county, at once. lie
says he cannot give bail and will have to
go to Jail. He insists that the verdict is
unjust; that he went over his entire sec
tiop rs ordered, and that no fires were
built as near the bridge as some witnesses
testified
The jury
MADE OFT SEPARATE NERDICrs
for each OF the victims. Mrs. DR.. Duck
etts is the first name on the list The fol-
lowing is the verdict of the jury on her
death:
T1t,of Illinois, LiringsioHc County,
In the matter of the inquest of the
body of Mrs. DuCkett, of Forest, Ill.,, de-
ceased, held at Chatsworth on the llth
| day Ot August, l~~7, We the undersigned d
Jurors, sworn to inquire into the cause OF
| the death OF Mrs. DR.. Duckett, late OF
| Forest, ILL.,, on oath, do find that she came
to her death by injuries received in the
wreCkiug OF the Niagara Falls excursion
| train on the Toledo, Peoria and Western
Railway on which she was a passenger, At
/ 4 bridge two and one-half miles east OF
| ChatswOrih, about T. o'clock, midnight,
| Wednesday, August 10, l-~7.
| We lind that
THE WREDkING OF SAID TRAIN,
which totally demolished eight coaches, a
| baggage ear and one engine, and either
killed or wounded most OF the occupants OF
said coaches, was caused by said bridge
/ having burned out before the train struck it,.
We think, from the evidence, that the
| bridge was fired from fires left burning,
which had been set rs late as ) O'Clock
| that afternoon hyScCtiOn men rs close a. six
| teen feet on both the east and west sides OF
| the bridge. We further find that the fore.
man OF section Timothy Coughlm-dis-
obeyed positive orders from his superior to
examine the track and bridges on his sec
| tiou the last thing on Wednesday; and we
| lind that he did not 20 over the west one and
unc-halt miles ut all on Wednesday, and
that the said Foreman COushlin was guilty
of
GROSS AND ,UNuNAL uAREI E~sNEr5
ia leaving fires burning along the track,
in such u dry season, and with such a
strong wind blowing. We recommend
that he bc held tor examination by the
grand Jury. And further, it is the opinion
oi the Jury that the leaving OF the track
without being pltrollcd for six hours before
| the passage OF the excursion, and the set
ting fire by the section men on such a dry
and windy day rs the 10th Of August,
| l~-1, were acts which deserve severe Criti-
,isu1